May 12, 2009
Welcome to the May Issue of Speaking-Out-Loud write-out-loud.com's monthly E-zine filled with information to help you 'talk your walk' more effectively.
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Happy speaking,
Susan
In this Issue
If you don't have time to read the whole ezine, click on the topic that interests you. This month you will find:
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Article The Comfort of Cliches
Susan's Spiel
Thanks in advance for reading the May Issue of Speaking-Out-Loud. It's been fun putting it together.
This month's focus is on word choice and speech delivery.
Many people think that a speech is simply content arranged in structured way and then spoken aloud. There is a beginning , a middle and a conclusion. End of story. However if you want to improve your public speaking, you'll know that's merely a starting point.Word choice means selecting the words (and therefore tone) best suited to our topic and our audience. We are told by many public speaking experts that using cliches is a definite 'no-no'. They signal laziness, lack of imagination and by extension, lack of wit. But do they? A cliche or two never did anybody any harm did it? Besides cliches are comfortable. We all know them. What do you think about using them in speeches? Check out the Article - The Comfort of Cliches.
And then there's delivery. That's a vast topic and I've selected two aspects of it.
The first is pronunciation, or more specifically, the lack of it.
Sloppy Speaking gives you 3 ways to become conscious of and improve your articulation. Improved articulation means improved
communication and that's got to be a good thing for anybody, not just public speakers.
The second looks at authenticity. Why do some speakers sound artificial? Why do others come across as compellingly sincere?
Find out more here.Are You Plastic Fantastic or the Real Deal?
From the bloopers with style department there's They Said It and a reminder that you can always keep in touch through checking out What's New
I am always looking for ways to improve the site. If you see any errors or would like to contribute in any way, please accept this invitation to contact me through my About Me page.
Thanks for reading and enjoy this month's Speaking-Out-Loud!
Till our next issue,
Kind regards
Susan
Article - The Comfort of Cliches
If you're at all ordinary, like me, you'll know about comfort food. You may, like me, indulge occasionally. But what about comfort language? These are the words and phrases that you don't have to work hard for. They're just there, always ready for action.Give them half a chance and they'll take you the whole nine yards. Quick as a flash. In next to no time at all.
These of course are cliches and despite their shortcomings, I like them. For some their familiarity may breed contempt but their comfort is enduring, principally because they never leave you stuck for words.
Whatever the topic or situation you'll always have something to say. A person dies and 'they have merely gone on before'. Someone is ill and 'they're as sick as a dog'.
Having difficult time making a decision? Maybe you're 'caught between a rock and a hard place'.
Where would business be without 'the bar being raised' ot the 'need to think outide the box'? The there's a 'paradigm shift', 'it is time for a change', and 'core values'. 'When the going gets tough, the tough get going' and we 'give 110%'.
A good cliche is a one-size-fits-all solution to having to think of something original. They're comfortable, like old friends. We know them and everybody else does too. And because they're familiar, we don't have to explain what we're talking about. Everybody 'gets it'. But what do we actually get?
Cliches carries collective experience rather than specific. They are the embodiement of generalised wisdom housed in words and phrases worn smooth by time and habitual use. Phrases like 'love is blind' or 'money doesn't grow on trees' alert us to a stereotypical emotional state or situations but they don't tell us anything more. The particulars we don't get. One-size-fits-all language denies that possibility.
The general agreement amongst wordsmiths, speech writers included, is that cliches are a lazy person's substitute for having to think and find meaningful alternatives. The argument goes that these phrases are wrung dry of any vibrancy. They are empty husks, limp rags. Time and over use has bleached them bland. Their presence then is a sign of carelessness and perhaps, limited personal resources: an impoverished vocabulary and a lack of imagination. But what do you think?
Is there a place for comfort language? There is most definitely one for comfort food. We all know the pleasure of relaxing without effort over a meal so familiar in taste, texture and appearance that we don't have to think about. It just is. It is what it was when we first met it and it is the same now. Eating it doesn't challenge us. Its qualities are known and reassuring. Similarly I think there's a place for cliche.
I'm not advocating abandoning attempts to use original expressions. I relish unique language: bespoke words crafted to precisely fit their speaker's needs but I also recognise the considerable effort involved. My point? A cliche, (or two or three), can be a welcome rest from the ongoing tussle to find authentic and fresh ways to express ideas which in themselves are not new. Let's put this in context so you 'know where I'm coming from', 'to make sure we're both singing from the same song sheet'.
For example 'comfort food' is not appropriate in all situations. If I go to a fancy restaurant and expecting a gourmet delight and get served something very ordinary, something I could get anywhere at a fraction of the price, I would be disappointed. When I go to that type of establishment I expect orignality; the chef to have imaginatively combined ingredients to serve a dish with flair. The same principle applies to the words we use. Comfort language or cliche has its rightful place but it's not in duping yourself or an audience that you've given them something unique or original to mull over.
So where and when are cliches acceptable?
Ultimately that's something you'll have to decide for yourself. The rule I use for myself is that I must be consciously aware of my word choices and the possible effect they may have. It's a 'lofty ideal' and I frequently stumble. That aside, I like cliches and enjoy the fun I can have them. When I'm not in front of formal audiences there is something deliciously relaxing about sliding into the equivalent of fluffy slipper language to slip-slop around for a bit.
Do you find yourself constantly relying on cliche to express yourself? To be effective and flexible you need more.
You'll find suggestions here on how to increase your word power.
They Said It
A girl stood in front of her class enthusiastically giving her speech about the great icons of USA. Two examples she proudly cited were the 'Statue of Liberace' and the
'Star Strangled Banger'.
Yes, this is true. I was there. And no, it wasn't deliberate.
Do you have any 'They Said It' stories or speech tips?
Submit them on our Tips and Speeches page.
Sloppy Speaking
Have the pronunciation police ever pulled you over to issue a warning?
'Madam, I've been listening to you and I haven't understood a word you've said. You've left off the 't' and 'd' at the ends of words. 'I want to' blurred into 'I wanna' and I noted 4 instances where you transformed double 'tt' into 'dd'. Repeat after me, 'mutter','stutter'... I do not want to hear, 'mudder' or 'studder'. Unless you get that mouth operating properly your speech will be permanently sidelined.'
Ouch.
Does it matter?
I think it does. Sloppy speech hinders communication. Clear speech helps it. If you've prepared a speech, surely you want your audience able to understand it?
You know you've been issued a warning if you've had feedback comments imlying that you:
- mumbled
- gabbled (spoke too quickly)
- blurred or blended words together
Here's 3 tips to help banish the sloppy speech blues.
- Listen to yourself. You'll never really know what others hear until you record yourself.
Often what we 'think' we sound like and what we 'actually' sound like are two different things. Make sure you get a resonable chunk of speech. You want enough for the self-consciousness of 'Oh my goodness, I'm recording myself.' to have subsided so that you can hear your habitual speech patterning. - Practice articulation exercises. Those old-fashioned tongue twisters really do work. They'll force you to slow down and will reform habitual lazy pronunciation.
There's a bunch of tongue twisters here. - SLOW down. Often sloppy speech is the result of speed wobbles. The rate that your words rocket from your mouth is exceeding your skill to control and form them properly!
Tongue twisters will help the articulation but so too will slowing down.
There are suggestions here to slow or vary your speaking rate.
Are You Plastic Fantastic or the Real Deal?
I've listened to many speeches over the years. Some of those speakers were outstanding. I knew they were the real deal - authentic. They spoke from the heart and fully engaged the audience. Others seemed plastic; disconnected and removed.
Why?
'Plastic fantastic' is the descriptor I mentally give to a person whose speech comes across as contrived or artificial. When you're watching and listening you sense that regardless of whether you were there or not, the speech would be the same.
The problem is the speech has been over-rehearsed. It's a performance leaving no room for response to the audience. The delivery and each gesture has been choreographed irrespective of who is listening. You can almost hear the speaker saying to themselves, 'This is where I step to the left, raise my hand, smile and stress the word XXX'.
A presentation like that is closed and when an audience is shut out they can feel a whole mix of things: neglected, ignored, hijacked, bored, impatient or even insulted.
A good speaker includes the audience, inviting their participation and collaboration.
How?
Authenticity is achieved by:- open responsiveness - eye contact and gestures that arise organically and spontaneously from either your speech or audience reaction
- connected observation - being aware of what your audience is expressing. Are they fidgety? Are they leaning forward in their sets eager for more? Are they looking at their watches?
Watch for cues to pick up the pace, slow it down or ask a question. Be prepared to add to, extend, edit or even eliminate sections of your speech to fit your audience's needs. - genuine passion - an audience is not a collection of fools to be fobbed off with feigned or pretend feeling for a topic. Speak sincerely and honestly.
Becoming the real deal takes courage and experience. Courage comes in the form allowing room for spontaneity, resisting the urge to slavishly stick to a rehearsed script. Experience hones observation and helps develop an array of flexible, nimble skills to genuinely meet an audience 'in the moment'.
If you have any speech tips you would like to share please submit them through our Tips and Speeches page. They will then be published on our site.
What's New
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Thank you for reading the May Issue of Speaking-Out-Loud. I hope you enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed writing it. Please feel free to contact me with any questions through the form on my About Me Page.
If you enjoyed this issue of Speaking-Out-Loud, please feel free to send it on to any friends or family. The site url to forward so they can subscribe is Speaking-Out-Loud.
Happy speaking,
Susan